Direction finder



June 17, 1930. o. PETERSON 7 DIRECTION FINDER Filed Nov. 18, 1925 mom 0. PETERSON A j i INVENTOR l l v A ORNEY SENS! Patented June 17, 1930 V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HAROLD 0. PETERSON, OF BIVEBHEAD, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB TO RADIO CORPORATION OF AMERICA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE DIRECTION FINDER Application filed November This invention relates to direction finding of radio signals. It has for its object a counteraction of any efiects which are inherent in the natural surroundings of the directibn finding apparatus.

This is accomplished in general by producing other errors which have a counteractin effect upon the natural error.

It as for itsfurther object the reduction of static and induction action caused b sparking commutators, swinging groun s and other disturbing influences. To obtain this result a shielding loop is used having the proper characteristics and the right osition in respect to the surroundings. T s loop is to compensate for the error of radio com ass bearings which accrue as a result of t e signal inducing circulating currents in the metal circuits of the ship such as rigging, etc. By experimental observations we can find the plane of the circuit through which these induced currents fi'ow. We then place the plane of the ermanent fixed loop at right angles to the p ane of the error producin currents and couple the loop to our direction finder loop by an amount suflicient to "ve us true bearings.

system has been tried and found efiective, the results in practice being as above outlined. The compensating loop can often be of the simple form of another stay to the fore mast if the mast is of metal.

Further and more particular objects may be observed with reference to the following specification, claims and annexed drawing, in which Fig. 1 shows a view of the location of a particular adaptation of my arrangement.

, Fig. 2 shows a schematic wiring diagram with connecting devices, and

Fig. 3 shows a vectorial analysis of the errors occurring therein.

1 is the hold of a ship being of steel,

- wood or other material on which my device is located.

The overhead antenna 5 with its lead-in wire 6 is used for ordinary sending and receiving. A direction finding loop or antenna 4 may also be used when it is desired to 18, 1925. Serial No. 69,752.

determine the direction to which or from which the signal is sent or received.

3 indicates a means by which a correction of errors caused by the natural loops formed by the various masts, ropes, antenna, wires, etc. is made.

The directional antenna 4 is connected to a switching arrangement as indicated at 12 Figure 2. This switching arrangement is used to aid in the determining of the direction so that it will not be necessary to rotate the loop through 180 degrees in order to obtain the customary cardioid receiving characteristic. There is also provided a series of contacts for use in obtaining the direction by means of the double null point method. These difi'erent series are indicated by the letters A, B and C, respectively.

The loop as indicated in Fig. 2 is of the conventional type, having a tuning condenser. the square type mounted on one of its an les. 7 is a radio receiver amplifier or equiva ent which is used for indicating oscillations. The position of the loop is determined by the indicator 13 associated with the proper scale. Surrounding the antenna 4 is a shieldin loop 3 which is grounded or not as desire This loop is so proportioned as to have an equivalent efl'ect upon the antenna 4,.as the natural surrounding loop structure of the ship. This proportion may be obtained by the amount of coupling with the antenna, insertion of resistance or reactance into the shielding circuit or in the ground circuit.

Whenever a switching arrangement 12 is set to connect the loop in the figure 8, or double null-point receiving location as indicated by line on Fig. 2, one-half of the loop is thrown directly across the input of the vacuum tube 7. Whenever a direction is determined by the cardioid or sense method, the switching arrangement contacts with the circuit to the mid-point of the loop through 8 and 5. 8 is the proper resistance and impedance to give the proper vertical antenna exposure to give a cardioid receiving diagram. As will appear from this figure, whenever these contacts are at A or B only one-half the loop 4 will be found to be in It has been found advantageous to use circuit. The other half will be open-circuited and a connection will be made through the conductor 5. In this connection it will be necessary to use the loop to receive both the horizontal and vertical components of the signal wave so that the loop must be connected to the ground through the contacts A or B at 14.

In regard to the effects produced by the natural surroundingloops and the loop 3, the line 15 in Fig. 3 indicates the true direction of a given radio signal and 16 is the direction at which it would appear tolie if no correction means were used, due to the loop effects of the surrounding conductors. is the normal signal flux. It can be broken into two components at right angles, 56., audit 16; cuts the rigging loop (which is-probably almost pure inductance) setting up a circulating current which has a magnetic field nearly 180 out of phase w th 95,. .This flux shortens 95 to 56 6 remains the same. Hence the resultant is now that of 6, and 6 which is 56 The bearin of the signal will consequently appear to e in a line perpendicular to 56 which is quite a bit in error as indicated by the angle a: in Fig. 3. Now if we place another loop at right angles tothe ships rigging, it will have a tendency to produce errors. of bearing in theopposite direction by shortening m as resulti'n in a cancellation of the error producing 'e ects of the ships rigging.

Furthermore, the phase angles of the fluxes resulting from the currents caused to flow in the extraneous circuits of the vicinity are usually such as to make the bearing of minimum response dull and ill defined in certain directions. This dullness is most marked in the directions where the error of bearing is greatest. The distinctness of the bearing on the radio coin ass is automatically made "good when t e compensating loop is adjusted-to correct the errors of I bearing.

It can be seen from this that a simple and efiective method is herein provided for correction of errors dueto naturalsurroundings and it is not intended that this idea he limited to the use of ships alone but also to sing-other natural surroundings having a de ite directional error producing characteristic.

- I claim 1. The combination with directional finding equipment, and natural circuits adjacent thereto which cause error producing mag netic flux, of a fixed closed loop arranged in proper position and size to cause error compensating magnetic flux of such direction and magnitude that the resultant space sig-v nal applied to the direction finding equipment is unchanged in direction, and means for causing said loop to act as an electrostatic shield with respect to said direction finding equipment, including a connection between said loop and round.

2. The combination with direction finding pickup means located on shipboard and the natural circuits adjacent thereto provided by the ships structure and rigging which cause error producing magnetic flux, of a fixed loop located adjacent the pickup means in proper position and size 'to cause error compensating ma netic flux of such direction and magnitu e that the resultant space signal applied to the pickup means is unchanged in direction, and means for causin said 00p to act as an electrostatic shield with respectto said direction finding pickup means, nclud' a connection between said loop and groun 3. The combination with a rotatable loop located on shipboard for direction finding, and the natural circuits adjacent thereto provided by the ships structure andji'igging which causes error producing ma netic flux, of an auxiliary fixed loop built adjacent the pickup means in proper position and size to cause error compensating magnetic flux of such direction and magnitude that the resultant space signal ap lied to the rotatable loop is unchanged in direction of propagation and means for causing said auxiliary loop to act as an electrostatic shield with respect to said rotatable loop, including a connection between said auxiliary loop and the ground.

4. The method of direction finding by means of a directional pickup and a receiver.

inherently subjected to pointin deviations due to a signal wave ront (fistorted by adjacent metallic structures which includes the step of setting up a local field equal in HAROLD O. PETERSON. 

